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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · root · chest · rule · fork · suit · mate · clip

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. rule — government
  3. clip — a video
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. chest — a box
  8. fine — all right
  9. suit — clothes
  10. clip — to cut
  11. root — of a word
  12. chest — of your body
  13. suit — in cards
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rule — a law
  16. fork — in a road
  17. root — the cause
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fine — high quality
  23. root — of a plant
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com